FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2022 - The number of professionals in unions held constant in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) report on union membership. Professional union membership hovered at 6.24 million, a negligible change from 6.31 million professional union members in 2020. Professional union density was 11 percent, a slight decline from 11.3 percent in 2020.

Professionals across sectors and industries continued to organize new unions. Nonprofit employees and tech workers kept organizing waves alive in these historically nonunion spaces with wins at the ACLU, the Brookings Institution, Defenders of Wildlife, and Code for America. In industries with a history of unionization, such as higher education and healthcare, professionals also formed new unions. 

“Professionals continue to value having power in their workplace to create lasting change,” said Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning. “Still, there are too many professionals who want to form unions but are unable to do so because of the challenges created by outdated U.S. labor law. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act must be passed to help ensure all workers can exercise their rights.”

Last year was marked by union employees exercising their workplace power at levels unseen in decades. Thousands of workers, including film and production professionals, musicians, and digital journalists, went on strike or prepared to strike. From this action, workers achieved tangible workplace gains of pay increases, better benefits, and improved working conditions.

“In 2021, working people across the country were exposed to the real power that comes from joining together in union, and I hope this inspires more professionals to organize their workplaces in 2022,” said Dorning.

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.